Kiewit gets $275 million contract to repair Oroville Dam Spillway

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) awarded Kiewit Intrastructure West Co. of Omaha the bid to start work repairing the Oroville Dam Spillway.

The DWR announced that Kiewit Corp. was awarded a $275 million contract to repair the reservoir, according to the Associated Press.

The construction company was the lowest responsive bid, of the three companies bidding, and was given notice to begin work on Monday, moving forward with DWR's recovery plan to ensure a system that can accommodate heavy inflows from the Feather River watershed to Lake Oroville safely.

Officials recently reopened the damaged spillway as more rain moved across Northern California.

The state said inflows to the lake are running at 28,224 cubic feet per second while outflows down the spillway are running at 35,000 cubic feet per second.

Using the spillway was necessary because enough water can't be released through the powerhouse underneath the dam to keep up with the inflow.

The National Weather Service expects scattered showers through Thursday in the area.

California water officials say they have awarded a contract to repair Oroville Dam's two damaged spillways to a Nebraska construction company.

In February, authorities ordered the evacuation of 188,000 people downstream after surging releases of water tore away chunks of the main spillway and then the secondary emergency spillway eroded. Residents were allowed to return home later that week. Authorities said the dam itself suffered no damage.

Officials have said they want to have the work done by Nov. 1, according to AP.